ETAWAH

town, west-central Uttar Pradesh state, northern India. It lies along the Yamuna River, southeast of Agra. The town is crossed by numerous ravines, one of which separates the old city (south) from the new city (north); bridges and embankments connect the two. Etawah contains a 16th-century mosque, the Jami' Mosque, built on high ground from the ruins of old Hindu buildings. There is also a ruined 15th-century fort, surrounded by Hindu temples. The town has important cotton- and silk-weaving industries, contains oilseed mills, and is a distribution centre for ghee (clarified butter). Etawah is situated in a stretch of alluvial plain drained by the Yamuna and its tributaries and irrigated by a branch of the Ganges Canal system. Crops include wheat, corn (maize), barley, and millet. The locality has many large ravines, and soil erosion is a problem along the rivers. Reclamation and forestation projects have helped to reclaim some of the land. Pop. (1981) town, 212,174.